George ii



(No Model.)

G. H. WILSON.

LAMP WIGK ADJUSTER.

No. 451,718. Patented May 5,1891.

. passages.

Fries.

' GEORGE H. WILSON, .OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

LAM P-WICK ADJ U STER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,718, dated May 5, 1891. I Application filed June 6, 1890. fierial No. 354,474. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE II. WILSON, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lampick Adjusters, of which the following is a specification.

It is common to use lamps with circular wicks with a passage for the air up through the .interior, in the manner known as Argand, and to admit the air to the bottom of the central space through a passage opening through the side. In such case the wick may be formed as a flat wick bent around and held in such position that it forms a complete circle at the top, whereit is presented to the flame, but the edges are deflected apart below to bridge the air-passage. In some cases two air-passages are made leading in laterally on opposite sides of the central passage. In such case two flat wicks, each capable of supplying half the circle at the top, are introduced, and two places are opened to bridge the respective air-passages. The objections have been largely or entirely overcome by the expedient of incasing the exterior of the wick in a thin metallic jacket which is perforated to allow the engagement of the teeth therewith to raise and lower it. This jacket, thus reliably raised and lowered, is forked to bridge the air-passages and takes hold of the wick at a great number of points. It follows that the wheel or wheels raise and lower the jacket, which I will call the wick-adjusting tube, with absolute certainty, and the jacket or wickadjusting tube raises and lowers all parts of the wick alike. I have in a patent to me, dated April 21, 1885, No. 316,422, set forth a good general form of this mechanism. The present improvement is based thereon, and may have corresponding proportions throughout. It is adapted for two lateral air- As heretofore constructed, it has required labor and skill to engage the wicks properly in the interiors of the wick-adjustin g tubes. The present invention is intended to obviate that difficulty. Instead of making the wick-adjusting tube in a single piece, I makeit in two pieces. This allowsa flat Wick of proper width to fill half the circle to be applied on the interior of one-half the adj usting-tube, and to be reliably engaged with the spurs or internal projections therein. The other half being similarly engaged with a similar wick, I apply the two halves together and introduce both in the proper position in the burner, taking care to so adj ust them that the teeth of the wheel or wheels, by which they are raised and lowered, shall engage in the proper series of holes in the rigid wickadjusting tube; but in what I esteem the most complete development of the invention the two halves of the wick-adjusting tube are engaged together in such manner that they may be easily separated and replaced in the insertion of the wick or in any subsequent rcadjustment thereof; but after the wick is in place in the burner they shall coincide with certainty as totheir vertical positions, the raising or lowering of one side compelling the other side to correspondingly rise and sink. I effect this engagement by producing wings on each part which engage in recesses between corresponding wings on the other half.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a central vertical section. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line so a; in Fig. 1. The remaining figures show parts detached. Fig. 3 is a side view of my wick-adj usting tube with the two halves completely separated. Figwlisacorrespondingviewshowing the two halves properly applied together for use. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line y y in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing a modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they appear.

A A are the two wicks, each adapted to form a half of the circle of wick presented to the flame.

B B are the two halves of the jacket or wickadjusting tube, and B B B are wings on the edges thereof. The main body of each part B is of the proper width to form half the hollow cylinder required. The wings extend beyond the body and engage in each case under the body of the other half of the tube. The wings and space on the right-hand edge of each forms a counterpart with the wing and spaces on the left-hand edge of each half. There are two wings and one space on the right-hand edge, and there are two spaces and one wing on the left-hand edge of each. The

wings are deflected a little inward.

In applying the parts together care is taken to introduce the wings of each half-tube in the spaces in the other half-tube. IVhen the parts are properly matched together ready to be introduced in the lamp, the wick-adjusting tube is a complete cylinder with the wings of each part extended across the vertical line of junction of the bodies and lying in the thin space between the adjacent body and the wick which lies within it. This condition of the parts is shown very clearly in Fig. 2. The thickness of the metal employed for the manufacture of the parts B is so slight that the wings B lie within the bodies without so much compressing the wicks at that point as to make those points work appreciably different from the other parts. The kerosene or other oil flows freely up through the wicks according to the ordinary laws, and is presented to be burned atthe upper edge in the ordinary manner.

D is the adjusting-wheel, and (Z are the teeth thereon. It is fixed on a shaft C, mounted in fixed hearings in the burner, and operated by the attendant through the aid of a button 0 in the long-approved manner.

E is the innertubc, which forms the central cavity of the'burner.

F F are the lateral air-passages to induct air from the exterior into the center of the flame, and G is the outer tube of the burner. This when the device is in use'lies close to the exterior of my wick-adjusting half-tubes B, and is slotted to allow the action of the one or more wheels D.

The raising and lowering of one side of the wick-adjusting tube insures the corresponding raising and lowering of the other side, because the wings B B B on one part are so adjusted to the recesses between the wings in the other part that they match closely and there is no appreciable lost motion.

I have in my experiments produced internal projections or roughenings on the parts B by making pointed teeth I) on the upper and lower edges and bending them inward,

so as to get a slight but sufficient hold on the wick. I propose in operating in the large way to produce, additiona1ly,a number of internal spurs or projections b, distributed equally or otherwise over the interior of each part B. These may be produced by cutting V-shaped places in the metal B and bending the points thus liberated.

The strong locking of the two halves of the wick-adjusting tube obtained by the engage ment ofthe wings 3 B B is mainly effective in regard to the positions vertically. It is of very slight effect in holding the two halves together. I hold the two halves slightly together by other lockin g means. This locking is obtained by producing, by suitable dies or otherwise, indentations Z)" in one part and corresponding spurs B in the other part.

hen the two parts (the two halves) of the wick-adjusting tube are completely pressed together, the projections 15' are received in the indentations b and aid to hold them to serve in effect as a single hollow cylinder or tube.

The device works with the same effect as the tube in a single piece heretofore used, with the advantage that it can be easily taken apart to allow the wicks to be adjusted or replaced.

One way to apply the parts together 18 to first insert the two flat wicks into the burner and crowd them partly down past the lateral air tubes or passages F F and afterward to apply my wick-tube in two parts properly matched together, and force the whole down together and properly engage my wick-adj usting tube with the adjusting-wheel D.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. I can use the invention with the form of burner in which there is an air-passage on one side only. In such case I should employ one flat wick of sufficient width bent around; but I can, if preferred, use two wicks, as before, fitting each properly into its respective half, and then bringing the halves of the wick-adjusting tube properly together and properly engaging the adjusting wheel or wheels therewith. I can dispense with the roughnesses over the interior surfaces of each part B, and depend alone upon the spnrs Z) at the upper and lower edges to cause the wicks to move therewith; or I can dispense with the serrated edges and depend upon the spurs Z) alone to compel the wicks to move up and down with the nice adjustmentof the adjusting-tube.

I can apply the invention to a lamp which has a central draft-tube extending up and down through the body. In such case I can use two flat wicks or one flat wick, or I can use a wick woven in the form of a complete tube, such as is commonly designated a circular wick. Fig. (3 shows such a modification. In this form thelocking-wings B B B may be Wide, as shown.

I'claim as my invention- A wick-ad j usting tube formed in two semicylindrical parts B B, provided with wings B 3 B and with the projections B and recesses if, in combination with each other and with two corresponding wicks A A, adapted to adjust the wicks by means of mechanism, as the wheels D (Z, substantially as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at New York city, county and State of New York, this 5th day of June, 1890, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. IVILSON.

Witnesses:

CHAS. S. BARBER, CHARLES R. SEARLE. 

